BCHL, Coastal Conference, COVID-19, Interior Conference, KIJHL, PJHL

BCHL Today: Cents sign two forwards and pick up a defenseman via trade, Bailey signs new deal in Germany, and more

Written by Brian Wiebe on

 

Cents acquire defenseman via trade and sign two forwards

The Merritt Centennials made a deal with the Nanaimo Clippers on Friday, picking up 2000-born defenseman Liam Visram for future considerations.

Visram, who is from Langley, has spent the last season and a half with the Clippers, scoring an assist in 51 games.

He is an alum of the Delta Ice Hawks of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. Visram posted 48 points in 81 games with the Ice Hawks from 2017-19.

The Cents also announced the signing of forwards Josh Olson and Nolan Wall for the 2020-21 season. 2001-born Olson comes from the Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, where he had 30 points in 35 games in 2019-20.

The Salmon Arm product also had one assist in eight games with Revelstoke of the KIJHL and an assist in four games with his hometown Silverbacks as an affiliate player.

Wall posted 22 points in 37 games for the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U18 in the BC U18 AAA league. The 2002-born Abbotsford, BC product added a goal and an assist in eight games with the Coquitlam Express as an affiliate.

He also played one game of junior B with the Ridge Meadows Flames of the PJHL as an affiliate player as well this past season.

Bailey signs with Iserlohn for 2020-21

Forward Casey Bailey (41 goals, 41 assists in 111 games with Alberni Valley from 2009-11) has signed with the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga for 2020-21.

The 28-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, had 11 points in 28 games with the Växjö Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League in 2019-20.

Bailey also compiled 11 points in nine ECHL games with the South Carolina Stingrays and three points in five American Hockey League games with the Charlotte Checkers.

Players with BCHL experience chosen in KIJHL dispersal draft

Word came out on Thursday that the 100 Mile House Wranglers, Beaver Valley NiteHawks, and Spokane Braves opted out of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League for the 2020-21 season due to issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, the league held a dispersal draft on Friday where players from those teams could be selected by the circuit’s 17 active teams. Canadian U20 players who finished 2019-20 with the Wranglers, NiteHawks, or Braves were available for selection.

Also, those who played junior A this past season but whose KIJHL rights were held by one of the three clubs who opted out were eligible. American players couldn’t be selected because the Canada-US border remains closed.

Fourty-four players were selected and four of them have BC Hockey League ties.

#7 – 2001-born defenseman Garrett Hunter (selected by Kamloops from 100 Mile House)

  • no points in five games with Merritt in 2019-20

#26 – 2000-born forward Michael Hagen (selected by Columbia Valley from Beaver Valley)

  • one goal in six games with Trail in 2018-19

#29 – 2001-born forward Ethan Jang (selected by Kelowna from Beaver Valley)

  • no points in one game with Alberni Valley in 2017-18

#30 – 2000-born forward Paul Leroux (selected by Fernie from Beaver Valley)

  • one goal in three games with Trail in 2018-19